


Paradoxical Dining

by GothMoth



Series: Phantom Phang Phucking Phreaking Phantastical Phabulous Phic Phight Phics 2.0 (The 2020 Edition) [7]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Because Clockwork Is Practically A God, Cannibalism, Danny Is Not Okay With This, Gen, Guardian! ClockWork, Parent! ClockWork, Taking Ghost Hunger To A Ridiculous Degree, They/Them Pronouns For Clockwork, ghost hunger, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothMoth/pseuds/GothMoth
Summary: Everybody’s got to eat, but some people do it really neat. A.k.a ClockWork can’t do anything the easy, normal, or expected way.
Series: Phantom Phang Phucking Phreaking Phantastical Phabulous Phic Phight Phics 2.0 (The 2020 Edition) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685341
Comments: 17
Kudos: 226
Collections: Phic Phight!





	Paradoxical Dining

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BlueOatmeal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueOatmeal/gifts).



All ghosts dealt with their Death Taste, that was simply a fact of existing as one of the dead yet ‘alive’, in a sense, again. An unavoidable truth. Many humans liked to call it by the slang Ghost Hunger, humans did so love naming things; a term which some younger ghosts had adopted. Most older ghosts found it silly, their Death Taste was literally the only form of ‘hunger’ they ever felt. So calling it ‘Ghost Hunger’ seemed rather silly and redundant. Might as well just say ‘hunger’ but that didn’t carry quite the right level of emphasis and craving. ‘Hunger’ was just a simple annoyance that the living dealt with, and could ignore. The same could not be said for a ghosts Death Taste. It was a feral, aggressive, needy beast; and one of the reasons ghosts were undeniably _predators_. Often violent, messy, and utterly indulgent. If human ‘hunger’ was someone prodding you in the head grumbling incessantly ‘eat something’. Then a ghosts Death Taste was someone hitting you over the head with a nail-covered baseball bat then curb stomping you while screaming ‘FEED’. At least the other slang name, Ecto-Lust, carried the right amount of absolute and utter _need_ ; even if it was a bit crude and obsessive sounding.

The smallest of them, of the dead, the simple little things that comprised the classification of ghost fauna in the forms of Wisps, Willows, blobs, blebs, and drones; merely fed off the free-floating ectoplasm found in the Realm Of The Dead. The Ghost Realm, or Infinite Realms as some would say. That, or they would feed off of what Cored ghosts shed off.

Cored ghosts, on the other hand, being more complex creatures, needed something more. Something equal to the ectoplasmic power they held within their Cores. Many simply ate the ectoplasmic flora and fauna, animal ghosts or ghost plants or Wisps even. Such creatures didn’t mind being the prey for bigger stronger creatures. Of course they didn’t. They would always simply reform afterwards, no worse for the wear. And often, in exchange for their providing of sustenance, the Cored ghost would allow them to reside within their lair. Would nurture and protect them. Care for them, speak to them, play with them. It was mutually beneficial, an easy arrangement. 

Though young Cored ghosts, child ghosts, could occasionally take ‘issue’ with _feeding_. It was expected really. Especially with a halfa. A creature still living to a degree. A creature less in-tune with their Core and their nature as a ghost. Beings often still bound to the morals and societal norms of the living. Things often so very restricting. But given time, even they could find themselves more or less content to _feed_. 

ClockWork chuckles, Daniel was an excellent example, a much better one than Vladimir. The elder halfa never had many ties to ‘morals’ or ‘societal norms’. There was little that one wasn’t okay with. But Daniel -so protective and kind, if a bit mischievous and vindictive- was hardly okay with anything that did harm. Such as the consumption of another sentient creature. If he were a weaker ghost it would be hardly a matter. Simply a high diet of the flora and hanging around other ghosts. Even Cored ghosts could feed off of free-floating ectoplasm and each other’s expunged ectoplasm, after all. It was as natural as breathing. But Daniel wasn’t weak, not by a long shot. It had taken a lot of work on both ClockWork’s and FrostBite’s part to get the child to even so much as tolerate his own necessary diet. Seeing him so often prefer to starve himself, was not something any Guardian/parent would want to see. 

But ClockWork saw everything, always. 

They had encouraged the development of ghost flora and fauna in Amity, purely for their charge to gorge himself on when he just couldn’t go without any longer. Encouraged him to learn to hunt properly from the people of the FarFrozen. To go to Pandora to learn every way to thank his food supply and care for them. Had gone and fetched Daniel themselves when what Amity provided just wasn’t enough, gave him the space and supply to get satisfied under the watchful eye of someone that he knew already had seen everything and would never judge him for it. 

With this, Daniel’s mortal friends both helped and harmed. Tucker could find no issue with it, frustrating Daniel to no end but making him feel accepted. While Samantha could find no justification for it, shaming and even scaring Daniel with her ferocity on the subject; but at least she understood why he had hated it. In the end, ClockWork had given the pair an earful. One had seemingly forgotten empathy and that it simply was not ‘the same as eating meat’. The other needed to understand that ‘intolerance of what another can not help but need’ is not a virtue and that Daniel _was a ghost_. The amount those two simply _forgot_ that Daniel was not entirely the same species as them, was both impressive and sad. But it was far better than them noticing all the time or being bothered. 

So Daniel accepted it, didn’t like it or revel in it, but that was okay. Acceptance was enough. Even if he was still more embarrassed and ashamed of it than ClockWork would prefer. 

But of course, with acceptance came cautious curiosity. Questions. Largely about ways to make the whole ordeal ‘less unpleasant and messy’ or how to cultivate the healthiest happiest ecto flora and fauna. Daniel decidedly _did not_ have a green thumb for living _or_ dead flora. Sam’s greenhouse would give a florist an aneurism though; which was one way she helped him with his Death Taste, always eager to support a more plant-based diet even if said plants were drastically more sentient than living plants. On the other hand, ghost fauna _loved_ Daniel; he had very little issue attracting a very large amount of Wisps and Willows. He would have acquired blobs and blebs too, if they could exist outside of the Ghost Realm. 

But as Daniel got more comfortable -which ClockWork internally rejoiced over- the questions became less of the ‘practical’ kind and more out of pure curiosity. And that’s precisely how ClockWork found themselves explaining how a ghosts Death Taste worked differently for different kinds of ghosts. They had tried before, most of Daniel’s wiser allies had, but the subject disgusted him too much to hear of it. This is also why ClockWork currently found themselves having gone off on a mental tangent over Daniel’s growth regarding his diet. 

“Hey ClockWork”...” _Clocky_?”...”Timepants?”. 

“Hmmmm?”, ClockWork shakes their head slightly at Daniel’s face being mere inches from their own. 

Danny snorts and jokes, “what? Head get lost in the time stream?”. 

“In reminiscing the past of time, yes. You’ve grown quite a lot”.

Daniel huffs and crosses his arms, “yeah well. Still don’t like this stuff. It’s just...”, trailing off and freeing one hand purely to gesture vaguely with it. 

ClockWork nods, “better to know than to not. A wise mind is ready one, after all”. 

Daniel nods, “yeah...”, clearing his throat, “it’s just, I’ve been kind of wondering... I bitch about _it_ a lot and I’ve heard most of my friends and enemies, even Boxy, go off about _it_. But never you”, shrugging, “was kind of wondering why?”.

ClockWork smiles slightly. It was of no surprise to anyone really that all the ghosts around Daniel, friend or foe, would speak of how they handled their Death Taste, of how they experienced it. Daniel was a child ghost after all. It was in any ghosts nature to help, support, and guide the young and new on things that were such a basic and innate part of being a ghost. Especially when it was something child ghosts did so often struggle with. Simply familiarising and normalising it to him would help him some. But for ClockWork to have shared how feeding was for them would have horrified the child. Things were different now, of course. Daniel had accepted it as part of himself and what he was. 

ClockWork ruffles up his hair, “I have my reasons. But certainly, none of those reasons is shame”, giving Daniel a pointed look before continuing, “I’m simply just too different from you, in that regard, for the knowledge to have been helpful for you. But I see no reason not to tell you now”.

Daniel raises an eyebrow, “yeah, can’t say I know what you mean by that. We’re both Cored ghosts”.

ClockWork gestures to their viewing screens, which flip around showing different average ghosts, “it goes back to what I told you on _why_ you can’t get by on just free-floating ectoplasm and Wisps”.

Daniel cringes slightly, and rather awkwardly answers with, “my...power?”.

ClockWork nods curtly, “precisely”, the screens flipping through a few of Daniel’s allies, “and your power is beyond that of the allies who’ve shared their experiences with you. Greatly in some cases”, turning to look at him directly, “do you truly even suspect it is the same with me. That you are stronger than me?”.

Daniel scoffs and actually laughs a little, “Ancients no, you’ve been around since the very beginning, can control _time_ , and were pretty well granted Guardianship over me purely _because_ I’m not stronger than you”, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, “I don’t think I’m even near being on the same level as you”. 

ClockWork smiles and chuckles, “and you’d be right. Though you are a bit closer to me than you think”, holding up a finger, “so if you need as you do because of being powerful and I am far more powerful than you, then...”. 

Daniel nods with a slight grimace, “you’d, uh, _need_ , a lot more”, tilting his head and blinking, “and maybe have to get it differently?”. ClockWork lets him think on that a little and gets rewarded with Daniel squinting and grimacing at them, “you don’t...y’ know, _Cored ghosts_ , do you?”. 

“I do”, gesturing their head towards their scythe, “both in, and not in, the way you’re thinking”. 

Daniel makes a face at them, one that’s a mix between disgust, regret, fear, and the expected horror, “you tried to attack me with that. Were...were you going to... _eat me???_ ”. 

“If you had chosen to foolishly fight instead of flee, then most likely, yes. It is for _reaping_ after all”. 

“I...I don’t know what to say to that”. 

It’s fairly clear he also doesn’t know what to think about that. Which is expected. Daniel was half-human after all. Humans weren’t true predators and thus had an instinctual fear of genuine ones. Naturally disturbed and fearful of what is likely or tries to eat them. Ghosts were merely cautious of the potential threat of being consumed by a stronger ghost. Ghosts neither feared nor felt disturbed by the possibility of being eaten. The Coreless weren’t even cautious of it at all. Many could even be proud of feeding a strong Cored ghost. Deciding to continue now that Daniel has had a bit of time to digest the new knowledge, “understandable. Though doing that, wouldn’t have served to satisfy me much. As I said, I also feed in a way that you do not think I, or any other ghost really, would or even could”. 

“I’m not going to guess, so just explain. While I try to push down the deep worry over my _Guardian_ having been split fifty-fifty between helping me and _eating me_ ”. 

ClockWork pats his head gently, definitely noticing and feeling a little saddened by, Daniel eyeballing their hand with caution all the while, “a normal ghost wouldn’t be bothered by that. But you’ve never been normal”, gesturing to the screens again, feeling a slight victory at Daniel looking to the screens rather than feeling the human instinct to not let ‘the predator’ out of his sight, “as I have told you. There are near endless timelines. And yet, only one can be actualised. Even with that fact, other timelines still continue to exist even when the universe going down the path to realise them, becomes impossible. But them continuing to exist in a sense, takes away resources from the true timeline. So what is to be done about these facts? Especially considering that new future timelines are constantly diverging from the present of the true timeline. With only one to become the true timeline”. 

Daniel scrunches up his face, “well... no one can just _make more resources_. That’s literally impossible. Actually impossible. Not just theoretically impossible, like how being only half-dead is only impossible in theory. So...”, scrunching up his face a bit more, “so, the not possible timelines would have to be recycled?”.

ClockWork chuckles, “‘recycled’, that is an interesting, and a rather accurate really, way to say ‘eaten’”. 

Daniel chokes and wobbles in the air slightly, before spinning to face them looking a bit wide-eyed, “ _WHAT???_ You! You _eat TIMELINES!_ How is that! How is that even possible!?!?”. 

ClockWork smirks, “my screens have many uses, as does my scythe. I merely sever the particular timeline’s cords to time and the EverAfter; which, if you remember correctly, is the final afterlife where all ghosts and mortals one day rest. Then I cut the cords of life to that timelines mortals, resulting in that timelines Mortal Realm ceasing to exist; everything joining that timelines Ghost Realm. Then I reap all the ghosts and ectoplasm from that timeline, syphoning it through a screen that corresponds to that timeline. The rest, I do not believe I need to explain”.

It really says a lot about how far Daniel has come, when he looks more stunned and intrigued, than disgusted. “But how is? How is that even? That’s _so much_. How could you possibly, y’ know, uh, _stomach_? that much?”. 

ClockWork smirks, “you are the only one here with a stomach”. Which was an unfortunate thing, it drastically reduced how much Daniel could feed at once and the speed with which he processed it; thusly drawing out the whole ordeal for him. “Feeding takes me around seventy-six hours currently -it progressively increases as all the defunct timelines grow in length- but when you can control time”, winking, “it can seem to others like no time at all”. 

Daniel snorts though eyeballs them with slight disgust. “Of course”, clearing his throat, “so you just, go at the now impossible timelines with a scythe like an old school wheat farmer; except the wheat is ectoplasm and ghosts? I’m almost more impressed than mildly revolted by how weird that is”, blinking and tilting his head, “wait. One fucking second. Doesn’t that mean that you’ve, y’ knowed, all the past alternate timeline versions of every ghost and mortal?”.

“More or less, yes”.

“What the fuck, ClockWork”. 

ClockWork does something rare for them and shrugs, “it works for me, and it is beneficial for the universe and Its continued existence. Definitely superior to Pariah’s method of eating entire lairs”.

Daniel throws his hands out to the side slightly, “do all the overpowered Ancients do shit weirdly!”.

ClockWork smirks and pointedly says nothing. Though the answer was absolutely ‘yes’. Daniel's evil self was really the only extremely powerful ghost that simply just ate other ghosts in the regular fashion, while also creating more ghosts of course. 

**End.**

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Creator: Blueoatmeal  
> Prompt: Black Hole -- How do unusually powerful ghosts (Nocturne, Clockwork, Pariah Dark, etc.) deal with Ghost Hunger? [cw: cannibalism; gore]


End file.
